Today we bought our new Life Style

 

Well, we drove (in the Starlet) all the way to Newcastle on Saturday to look at a Coaster.......We stayed at Stockton......tried the Caravan Park first...they had a cabin we could have for $165....

Using her amazing deductive powers, the woman in reception detected my total dismay as a look of abject horror crossed my face and directed us to the nearest motel....there we were informed we could have the 3 and a half star room (with a queen bed) for $115 or the three star room (with a double bed) for $105....we splurged!!!!! That night we caught the Ferry across the Hunter to town and the precinct described as 'a small Sydney Darling Harbour'. I think they were a little ambitious in the description....We counted five restaurants (one of them was Harry's Cafe de Wheels) and two bars......But we had a very nice pizza for dinner and then crashed out for the night...

Sunday morning we tootled off to see the bus.....it was nice but overpriced and while it had everything that opened and shut, it had a heap of kilometres on the clock and although I could get into the front seat, there was no way I could stretch my legs out under the dash because of fuse boxes and other gear there. I would literally have had my knees up under my chin (almost touching in fact)...so.....with a heavy heart, we travelled all the way back home and arrived back about 7:30ish......We did not speed because we counted no less than 28 Highway Patrol cars booking people (there and back)!!!!

Today we took a drive to 'Motorhome Conversions' at Springwood.......just to have a look.....famous last words!!!!

The charismatic, high pressure salesman saw us coming and told us they had a bus just come in, currently at the painters getting a touch up and took us to the painters to have a look and good old Poker Face Johnsen (as we know and love our Ronnie) bought it!!!! I managed to haggle a GPS and an extra house battery out of them so I was quite pleased.

And that's it!!!!

We now own a Motorhome which we will pick up around settlement time!!!!!!

WooooHoooooo!!!!!!!

Done….Sold…….Unconditional!!!!!!

We had an SMS from our conveyancing company yesterday to say that it was all go for the sale so we went out for a celebratory dinner and wine that night and when we got home the ‘Sold’ sign had been put up. Truly, if you want to sell your house, Helen is the one!!! She works like a Trojan and gets the job done; absolutely fabbo, the consummate professional and friendly and down to earth as well.

Now the real hair pulling and stressing begins as we struggle with the logistics of buying busses, selling furniture and fittings and generally timing it all to coincide with settlement dates (16^th July 2012 – mark that one on the calendar)

Deep breaths; in with the good air, out with the bad air……..hhhmmmmm.

Flying visits and the Dictator

Tucked up snug and warm in bed yesterday morning and Ron gets a message from the first born….he will be in Brisbane for about two hours between flights from Melbourne to Townsville if we want to visit. Off we charged, up the highway and into the fabbo new car park at the airport (mind you it costs - $22.00 for 3 hours!!!!).

We met Ben’s plane and in my usual fashion, I failed to recognise him until he was directly upon us.  He looks so good, really healthy and handsome.  Winning all those gold medals (six altogether) and a few coloured at ASSAM certainly agrees with him.  The shoots sounded like a lot of fun. Run a hundred metres in full body armour, webbing and helmet and then flinging oneself onto the ground and shooting seven plates or turning your body in all different directions to shoot through holes in a barrier or firing 12 pistol shots in nine seconds with a change of magazine in the middle just for good measure!!!! Things like that and of course the long distances up to around three hundred metres as well. Anyway we had a lovely catch up and strongly recommended he see ‘The Dictator’

Ron and I went to the movies on Thursday. We slummed it in economy class (instead of Gold Class) this time and saw The Dictator with Sasha Baron Cohen.  It was an absolute scream. 

I found this very apt description with which I wholeheartedly concur. ‘His latest character – the fascist, racist, sexist, homicidal and egotistical war criminal General Aladeen – dishes out jokes that centre on sexual abuse and genocide, among other things, all the while ensuring women and minority groups are belittled at every possible opportunity.’ All in the nicest possible way – really funny. I laughed out loud all through it.

More Mothers Day

Yesterday, after my rigorous work out at Yoga followed by mandatory coffee with Trish, I went home to prepare for an afternoon of felting with Margaret and Linda. No sooner had I arrived home when there came a knocking at my door.

Lo and behold it was a flower delivery man with flowers from Paul!!!!  I could not believe it ….flowers from both my boys. They took a while but were so worth the wait: they are beautiful lilies and orchids.

The man came and picked up the bed and the lady came with the deposit for the buffet and will come back for it next week some time. We have sold nearly all our big furniture pieces. Linda bought our bedroom suite (collecting when we move thank goodness) and Trish is buying the fridge.

Today the assessor for the buyer came to do the valuation of our house…..not long now!!!

Inspections and Gumtree

We had Pest and Building Inspection today and all went well.  In fact, we got so excited we decided to put a couple of items for sale on Gumtree just to see how they went.

Ron put up our buffet and the queen bed and side table from the spare room and they were SOLD within half an hour!!!!!! I know, unreal!!!! Maybe we priced them too low, but who cares, they’re gone!!! And it’s free!!! Gotta love Gumtree – that’s where we bought Arlo.  Looking around for more things to sell now but don't want to get too carried away or we will be sitting and sleeping on the floor before we know what has hit us!!!

Mothers Day

Here I am. Ronnie cooked me the most wonderful breakfast…..egg and bacon and pancakes with maple syrup and whipped butter…..he is a keeper!!!!! Paul rang this morning and in between the static managed a Happy Mothers Day.  He is still out in the wilds somewhere. I just put down the phone from Paul and a lady arrived at the front door bearing flowers and chockies from Ben….how cool is Mothers Day? I am so lucky to have such gorgeoust boys!!!!! 

Yesterday Ron and I drove to Casino and checked out another over 55’s village.  There appear to be plenty about so we are more confident now that we will find somewhere to hang our hat when the time comes.

 On Friday, Ron and I used our fabulous Cinema Gift Voucher that Annette and Guy gave us and treated our selves to 'Gold Class'.......it was divine decadence.....I mean there is all ways something a bit decadent about coming out of a cinema when it is still daylight, and, not only did we do that but we sat in recliner armchairs and dined on seafood and sipped wine while watching 'The Avengers'....It was good fun….Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. brings together a team of super humans to form The Avengers to help save the Earth from Loki and his army…..with lots of general mayhem and mass destruction and a few good one-liners (particularly from Iron Man).

Ronnie’s Kitchen Rules

Christina came for dinner last night…….she brought Sav Blanc so we let her stay…..Donna called in on her way home from work and Trish arrived just at the beginning of dessert…….(good timing on her part). Ronnie surpassed himself yet again with entrée of Crumbed Chicken and Prawns with Two different Dipping Sauces, a main comprising Crispy Skin Salmon, Mini Potato  Bake and Asparagus and the piece de la resistance…..Sweet Potato Pie (a recipe we managed to convince Donna to part with when we dined at her house on Mt Tamborine recently.  (We actually had her taste test it to see if it measured up to her rigorous demands and of course it did!!!!)

The evening was a howling success….With Christina and I doing much of the howling (with laughter that is!!!) I have always appreciated her sense of humour until I received this via email this morning:

Here’s an idea for you two!!                

New . . . For Senior Travel

Today I went off to ‘The Biggest Morning Tea’ for cancer research.  After enjoying the scrumptious eats and the requisite purchasing of raffle tickets we settled in for the drawing of the raffles……There must have been eight hundred prizes and of course not one of them made it to me……at least half a dozen of the ladies with whom I shared my table made off with loot ranging from stationery sets through bottles of Scotch, right up to the major Night for two at Jupiter’s Casino with complimentary breakfast……it was a lovely day and apparently they raised almost $3,000…..not a bad effort!!!!!!!

And so it begins

I thought selling was tough!!! Huh!!!! Trying to decide where to start (let alone starting to sort out what to keep and what to chuck) now, that’s tough……

Ron got the stuff out of the roof today…stuff that I could not possibly part with….stuff that was soooooooooooooo precious……turns out I had forgotten I even owned half of it……..and I have not even set eyes on some of it for well over ten years!!!!!!

BUT, having said that, it was still a wrench after going through it again to turf it out……They were mainly papers and stuff…..one of my school report cards that said, ‘Penny is a charming and capable time waster’ along with several versions of ‘Penny would do better if she talked less’. There was lots of the boys stuff including Paul’s preschool folder of art work with a label on the front with name: Paul, age: 5, favourite food: KFC, favourite colour: blue, ambition: Army!!!!!!! (That blew me away)….a couple of my old Passport photos….my goodness I was good looking!!! And some stuff that I have snuck back inside till later……And yes, I know I have to be ruthless!!!!!

Crunch time

Well, this is it!!!!! The universe has aligned and we have been made an offer (not too good to refuse but fair enough!!!)And…..we have decided to accept it.

Now the fun really begins…..

To buy or not to buy?.....To store or not to store?......To sell everything and hit the road?......

So far, the feeling is that we will indeed become full time gypsies, put everything in storage, put our money in the bank and (after we buy a suitable vehicle) take off into the wild blue yonder!!!!!!

It is very scary but quite exhilarating at the same time……it is the first time, since I left home at age 22 that I will not own a piece of dirt to call my own…..

The next bit (and this is the most difficult) is what to keep and what to throw…….ruthlessness is the key here but everything has some sort of sentimental attachment……

The Brightonomicon

Here I am, fingers on keyboard, ready to update you with my latest ramblings, I mean news. Went to the doctor on Thursday and as anticipated, all is well. That’s it….news hour is now concluded.

I shall away to read my book ‘The Brightonomicon by Robert Rankin’.  I love it. It’s hard to describe but I did manage to find a quote from the internet that does it justice and with which I wholeheartedly agree:

"If you liked the lunacy of The Goon Show, outrageous running gags, names that rhyme, terrible poetry, and an often inspired and playful use of language, this will be right up your street."
Barbara Davies – STARBURST

This is apparently Book Eight in The Brentford Trilogy. Basically , the story goes  that there are, hidden in the streets of Brighton, twelve ancient constellations, like the Hangleton Hound and the Bevendean Bat and on each one hangs a tale, a tale so strange that only The Lad Himself, that inveterate spinner of tales and talker of the toot, Hugo Rune, can get to the bottom of. And he'd better do it quickly, because if he doesn't solve the dozen mysteries before the year is out, that'll be the end of the world as we know it.

AASAM

Got a call from Ben yesterday morning……he was at Brisbane airport (in transit) on his way to AASAM.  What’s that, I hear you ask…..well…..The Army being the Army and extremely fond of acronyms, it stands for Australian Army Skill at Arms Meeting.

The following description is from their Web Page:

Australian Army Skill at Arms Meeting (AASAM) is a combat focussed skill at arms competition that encompasses current in-service small arms systems, competed at individual and unit levels.

And if you want to find out more, here is a link to the web page:

http://www.army.gov.au/Army-life/Sport-and-recreation/AASAM

As far as I know, Ben is competing in a few events. I am currently involved in the more genteel arts of Tai Chi, Yoga, painting, drawing and textile arts (having given up my rifle shooting several years ago!!!) But if Ben has inherited his mother’s genes he will do exceptionally well……. (If he doesn’t do well, it will be because of his father’s genes!!!!)

Paul is currently out bush somewhere around Shoalwater Bay on exercises. The last message we had was that all was going well.